IN THE NEWS

NBC announced its fall lineup, touting stability and powerful alternative programming. Highlights include Gwen Stefani’s return to The Voice (replacing Nick Jonas), the 22nd season of Law & Order: SVU on Thursday, followed by the net’s only newcomer, spin-off Law & Order: Organized Crime, and 19 games of Sunday Night Football. “NBC has assembled a remarkably stable schedule at a time when stability is called for,” said Paul Telegdy, Chairman, NBC Entertainment. “With the reopening of the Universal lot for select productions this week, we are confident that our schedule will premiere intact later this fall. We design shows for longevity and this schedule remains a powerful propulsive force for shows to start here and carry on entertaining across generations.” For details on NBC’s fall schedule, go to the Cynopsis Upfronts Portal.

In more NBC news, 30 Rock is returning to the net for a special Upfront event. Characters from the series including Liz Lemon (Tina Fey), Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin), Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan), Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski), Kenneth Parcell (Jack McBrayer), and more will return for the one-time, hour-long show, premiering commercial-free on NBC on Thursday, July 16 at 8p, and rebroadcast across USA Network, Bravo, E!, Oxygen, SYFY, and CNBC and available to stream on Peacock on Friday, July 17 at 9p. “We’re all happy to have this excuse to (remotely) work together again for NBC,” said Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, Executive Producers, 30 Rock. “To quote Kenneth the Page, there are only two things we love in this world, television and everyone.”

Univision Communications unveiled the company’s 2020-21 programming lineup at its virtual Upfront presentation (special guest: Pitbull) on Tuesday. “We’re playing a more vital role in our audience’s lives than ever before during these unprecedented times,” said Vince Sadusky, CEO. “The investments we’ve made in network, local and digital programming have resulted in Univision finishing the broadcast season as the highest growth network at a time when virtually all other networks experienced declines. This momentum represents a real opportunity for brands to make a meaningful connection with an underserved and high-growth community.” The slate includes 11 new scripted titles, including two original adaptations of international hits, and romances Imperio de Mentiras (Empire of Lies) and Te Acuerdas de Mí (Remember Me), as well as live events and sports. For details, go to the Cynopsis Upfront Portal.

HBO Max is returning Gone With the Wind to its offerings, with Turner Classic Movies host and Black scholar Jacqueline Stewart providing an introduction to add context to a movie denounced for racist depictions. “For me, this is an opportunity to think about what classic films can teach us,” said Stewart in an op-ed on CNN. “Right now, people are turning to movies for racial re-education, and the top-selling books on Amazon are about anti-racism and racial inequality. If people are really doing their homework, we may be poised to have our most informed, honest and productive national conversations yet about Black lives on screen and off.” HBO Max temporarily pulled the film during protests that followed the death of George Floyd in police custody.

While the number of households reached by cable news and local news increased at the height of the protests during the week of June 1, the weekly average watch time per household for cable news decreased, according to Alphonso, based on data from15 million households that suggests viewers might have been wearied by the intense news cycle. Other findings include:
* Weekly average time watched per household decreased 3-3.5% for both local news and cable news on the week after May 25 compared to the week before.
* Households reached by cable news increased 14.5% during the week of May 25th as compared to the week before. For local news, the number of households reached was more or less constant between these two weeks.
* Once the protests escalated (week Jun 1-7, 2020), cable news and local news reached 7.7% and 6.2% more households respectively as compared to the week before. Watch time per household decreased by 10% during this period for cable news, but for local news, it was stable.

Jimmy Kimmel will host and also executive produce ABC’s broadcast of the 72nd Emmy Awards on Sunday, September 20 at 8p. Kimmel also hosted the 64th and 68th Emmys. “I don’t know where we will do this or how we will do this or even why we are doing this, but we are doing it and I am hosting it,” said Kimmel.

Speaking of the Emmys, National Geographic Networks has launched podcast Consider This, a 12-parter focused on Nat Geo Emmy contenders. “We are a network that’s built on incredible storytelling,” said Christopher Albert, EVP Marketing Strategy and Global Communications for National Geographic and National Geographic Documentary Films. “In this most untraditional of Emmy seasons, we wanted to find a way to bring our amazing talent from both in front of and behind the camera directly to the Emmy-voting audience – literally straight into their ears – while also keeping everyone safe and socially distant.”

NBC made decisions on the futures of four series. The net ordered season three of drama Manifest, which averaged 1.5 among A18-49 and 7.7 million viewers in Live+7 Nielsens during its second season run, but canceled freshman comedy Indebted, starring Fran Drescher (The Nanny). Drama Bluff City Law, which never made it past its ten-episode order in the fall, and Sunnyside, moved from linear to digital platforms after four episodes, were also officially canceled.

Also cut: ABC’s The Baker and the Beauty, the comedy-drama based on an Israeli format. Midseason legal drama For Life, about a wrongfully convicted man who litigates for other inmates, was revived for season two.

In one week, join Cynopsis and our friends from Crackle Plus, Penthera and FreeWheel for a free webinar focused on AVOD. Learn the metrics that matter most to advertisers, why it’s critical to invest in the mobile experience and more. It’ll be 45mins of your day well spent! Register here.

Fox Corp. is in “very, very early discussions” with the NFL about renewing its rights deal, said COO John Nallen at the Credit Suisse Virtual Communications conference on Tuesday. The deal struck in 2011, when the company was part of 21st Century Fox, expires after the 2022 season.

The VAB’s new study, #AloneTogether: Culture in the Time of COVID-19, found three out of four of the top trending topics on Twitter at night were related to people watching video content. Other findings include:
* At least one video-related topic trended each day of the six-week analysis, covering a variety of genres including scripted dramas, reality TV, live news specials and sports-related updates, among others.
* Ad-supported TV accounted for 72% of total video-related trending topics.
* In the absence of live sports on TV, entertainment content made up over three-fourths (78%) of ad-supported TV programs trending in the top 10 on Twitter.
* Ad-supported TV programming specials, including live music performances, late night fundraisers and televised town halls, also were top trending Twitter topics on the nights they ran.

When ABC’s Dancing With the Stars returns for season 29 later this year, former Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe will be ready to tango. Bristowe shared the news that she’ll be a contestant during The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons Ever!.

Telemundo announced the production of La Suerte de Loli (Loli’s Luck), starring Mexican actress Silvia Navarro. Scheduled to be filmed later this year, the original dramedy will also include participation from Telemundo’s Jacky Bracamontes. The series is slated to premiere in 2021. “We are excited to welcome Silvia, one of the most well-known actors in Mexico, to the Telemundo family for the first time to lead this original and contemporary story,” said Marcos Santana, President, Telemundo Global Studios. “La Suerte de Loli will deliver a true mix of comedy and drama, with a wide cast of relatable characters and storylines.”

Debra Messing (Will & Grace) will star in East Wing, a comedy series in development at Starz. Creator and writer Ali Wentworth (Nightcap) also stars, along with Liz Tuccillo (Divorce). Lionsgate is producing, with executive producers Messing, Wentworth, Tuccillo and 3 Arts Entertainment’s Howard Klein and Molly Madden. East Wing follows a D.C. hostess with social anxiety.

Nickelodeon has ordered original animated series Middlemost Post (wt), created and co-executive produced by John Trabbic III (SpongeBob SquarePants). The 20-episode 2D-animated series follows a former rain cloud, a brawny mailman and a magical pet walrus. Middlemost Post is produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio in Burbank, with Dave Johnson serving as co-executive producer and story editor.

Nick also signed an overall deal with 13-year-old social media star and hip-hop artist, Alaya “That Girl Lay Lay” High. Nickelodeon will work with the teen to develop original multiplatform programming, music initiatives, and build a cross-category consumer products business.

Entries are NOW open for the 8th Annual Cynopsis Digital Model D Awards. An annual must for digital innovators in the media space, the Cynopsis Digital Awards have been honoring the best in online video content, advertising, talent and digital media’s movers and shakers for 8 years running. Be sure to enter your winning campaign, content or tech before August 11.

Lark Productions has acquired the exclusive TV rights to the Image Comics series Descender and sequel series Ascender, from author Jeff Lemire and comic artist Dustin Nguyen. The series will be developed and produced by Lark Productions, which NBCUniversal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group, owns an equity stake in.

Girl Scouts of the USA announced the launch of CircleAround Powered By Girl Scouts, a media brand and online destination with a mission to present inspiring and trusted content for women. CircleAround will curate content pieces covering Inspiration, Wellness, Work, Money, Parenting, Relationships, and News.

HBO will present the filmed version of the Broadway show, “David Byrne’s American Utopia,” directed by Spike Lee. “Spike and I have crossed paths many times over the years, obviously I’m a huge fan and now finally here was an opportunity for us to work together,” said Byrne. “I am absolutely thrilled with the result. The Broadway show was a wonderful challenge as well as an opportunity – it was a joy to perform and, well, best to let the quotes speak for themselves. Thrilled that this show and the subjects it addresses will now reach a wider audience.” The film will debut later this year.

ADVERTISING

Ad cancellations during 3Q20 are “significantly better than we thought, and every week the scatter market in terms of value seems to go up,” said Discovery Inc. CEO David Zaslav at Tuesday’s Credit Suisse event. “If you look at the money that was pulled and redeployed, the money that was redeployed came back at a higher price,” noted Zaslav. “The advertisers that pulled said, ‘I’ve got to get back in there.’ There is an urgency.” While April sales were down 18%, May and June look much better, said Zaslav.

Total ad spend without political ads will hit $207.9 billion in 2020, down 13% from the year prior, according to a GroupM forecast – not bad, all things considered. “That we ‘only’ expect a 13% decline is surprising,” wrote Brian Wieser. “We might normally expect that because the 2020 economic decline is so much worse than 2009, advertising should be much weaker.” TV advertising spend is forecast to dip by 7%, to $61.1 billion in 2020, political ad spend included.

IAB released its third buy-side survey since the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on Upfronts/NewFronts spend and trends. Highlights include:
* Overall, ad buyers expect 2020 ad spend to decline 20% from last year due to the health crisis’ economic impact, and buyers pausing or cancelling campaigns.
* Amid the overall decline, digital ad spend is growing: Buyers expect it to be up 13% in 2H vs 2019.
* Linear TV ad spend is expected to be flat for Q3 and down in Q4, while CTV/OTT investment will increase significantly year over year. While there is a decrease in linear, it isn’t due to buyers abandoning linear – traditional TV budgets moving to OTT/CTV. Agencies expect to increase CTV/OTT investment by 46% YoY.
* Nearly half of buyers are confident their budgets are stable for the rest of 2020, but confidence in 2021 is much lower.
* 72% of buyers say NewFronts are more important than ever before, however, nearly half of buyers said they want NewFronts and Upfronts to merge. One of the key factors to merge Upfronts/NewFronts is to better understand measurement and research.

In an open letter to the digital advertising industry, BPA Worldwide, which provides third-party audits of publishers audience claims, raises the issue of who owns bidstream data, asserting that it is intellectual property. The not-for-profit is asking that when audiences are made available for real-time bidding, the data would no longer be available to third parties who use it to create other opportunities. “Without publisher permission, third parties have no contractual right to use this data to create derivative works from the very assets that publishers have spent decades and billions of dollars to create,” says the letter. “They are being enabled by loose restrictions within some RTB platforms, which may ignore their responsibility and obligation to the publishing industry.”

Verizon Media announced its omnichannel DSP has received TAG certification against fraud, having met requirements to protect advertisers, partners, publishers and consumers against digital ad fraud. “As pioneers of the Internet, Verizon Media has decades of experience in combating advertising fraud for our customers, and we’re vigorously committed to the continuation of these efforts,” said Ivan Markman, Chief Business Officer at Verizon Media. “The Verizon Media DSP puts transparency front and center, giving our clients the confidence to know how their dollars are being spent and that their campaigns are being properly delivered.”

NEW SERIES

Ghostbuster Dan Aykroyd narrates new Travel Channel series Hotel Paranormal, debuting Saturday, July 11 at 10p. The series follows true stories of people who have come face-to-face with otherworldly hotel guests.

Furever Home Family debuts on Animal Planet on Saturday, July 4 at 8:30a, following a mobile grooming center as it travels the country on a “Bathe to Save” tour.

STREAMING SCOOP

ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish gave a preview of the upcoming rebrand of CBS All Access, for a launch slated to take place 2021. “We have a good position in the older segment with the current All Access product, but this really brings a lot of young audience to the table,” said Bakish at the Credit Suisse event on Tuesday. The new streamer will have an additional 15,000 hours of content, and a “much broader slate.”

Philo is adding Epix and Starz to its offerings, with three months of introductory rates. “We are excited to provide these premium entertainment brands to our service as they have been consistently requested by our subscribers,” said Mike Keyserling, COO and Head of Content Acquisition at Philo. “In these challenging times, we remain committed to offering high-quality entertainment content at a considerable value and with the addition of Epix and Starz we continue to deliver on this commitment.” Sports-free Philo costs $20/month, for over 50 channels.

Syncbak has teamed with its local station partners to stream virtual graduations and celebrations for the class of 2020 on Syncbak’s direct-to-consumer OTT app, SBTV. Syncbak started streaming the celebrations in early May and will continue through June. Since airings on SBTV, local station partners have been able to reach more viewers outside of their DMAs – Syncbak reports the events have reached viewers in a combined total of 47 DMAs and counting. “Graduation is a seminal moment in every local community across the nation and it’s been great to see our broadcast partners highlighting these milestone events nationwide,” said Syncbak CEO Jack Perry.

OTT.X, the industry trade association supporting the OTT streaming ecosystem, will host and deliver the first OTT.X Impact Awards at the annual OTT.X @Digital Media Pipeline on December 10. Awards will be given to OTT streaming producers and distributors for content that most inspires positive action and promotes acceptance and equality.

COMING UP

Animal Planet special The Great American Groom-a-Long, hosted by Carson Kressley, airs Saturday, June 20 at 10p. With the help of professional groomers guiding them over Zoom, celebrity pet owners including actor Dennis Quaid, Olympic medalist Apolo Ohno, singer Aubrey O’Day, Kym Herjavec (Dancing with the Stars) and Robert Herjavec (Shark Tank) virtually groom pets.

Warner Bros. is planning a 24-hour, immersive – and free – virtual fan experience, featuring news and footage from TV, film, WB Games and comics from the DC Multiverse. “There is no fan like a DC fan,” said Ann Sarnoff, Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Warner Bros. “For more than 85 years, the world has turned to DC’s inspiring heroes and stories to lift us up and entertain us, and this massive, immersive digital event will give everyone new ways to personalize their journey through the DC Universe without lines, without tickets and without boundaries. With DC FanDome, we’re able to give fans from around the world an exciting and unparalleled way to connect with all their favorite DC characters, as well as the incredible talent who bring them to life on the page and screen.”

The Lost Boys of Bucks County premieres Monday, June 22 at 9p on ID. The two-hour special follows the search in 2017 for four young men who vanished in Pennsylvania.

OWN one-hour special Greenleaf: Goin’ Up Yonder celebrates the first four seasons of Greenleaf, with a preview of season five, on Tuesday, June 16 at 9p. Patti LaBelle, who played Christian motivational speaker Maxine Patterson during season three, hosts.

TV One movie Coins for Love, a sequel to Coins for Christmas, is set for Sunday, July 19 at 9p. Essence Atkins (Marlon) stars as a single mom who finds herself starting over.

ABC News is airing a special to commemorate Juneteenth, the holiday celebrating the end of slavery in America, and examine its symbolism among the Black community and around the nation. Juneteenth: A Celebration of Overcoming airs Friday, June 19 at 8p.

Television festival SeriesFest, taking place June 18-24, announced additions to its line-up. Events focused on Apple TV+’s Ghostwriter; hybrid drama Silent Rose; and Heredia Vision: The Quarantine Edition, a compilation of songs and videos, are among the offerings.

Cinelatino will celebrate Father’s Day with a movie marathon featuring the Derbez Family and honoring its patriarch, Eugenio Derbez, on Sunday, June 21 beginning at 7a.

HITN and The Alzheimer’s Association, New York City Chapter are launching a public service campaign featuring Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. The campaign video highlights Alzheimer’s disproportionate impact on black and Latino communities.

GOING GLOBAL

Moonbug has launched the Moonbug channel on Sky Kids. Families in the UK and Ireland with Sky can access Moonbug’s kids’ content, ad-free, through the new VOD channel.

Canada’s Boat Rocker Studios announced a range of deals for programs including Mary’s Kitchen Crush, The Great Canadian Baking Show, Late Nite Eats, and Bake with Anna Olson.

French animation production and distribution company Dandelooo has closed a deal with Czech animation production company, Krutart, for the new 2-D series Kosmix.

Season four of TLC spin-off Before the 90 Days delivered the highest-rated season in 90 Day history, helping TLC to rank #1 in all ad-supported cable for women demos this year to-date. The series grew double digits across key demos vs. prior season, highlighted by W25-54 +24%, P25-54 +30%; W18-49 +29%, and W18-34 +45%. The regular season finale on Sunday, May 31, reached 5.1 million P2+, the first time the franchise has broken the 5 million P2+ threshold.

Entertainment newsmagazines didn’t suffer from preemptions for coverage of the protests surrounding the killing of George Floyd, his Minneapolis Memorial service, and the coronavirus pandemic, which knocked down much syndication programming in the session ending June 7. Entertainment Tonight (2.5 Live+SD national Nielsen rating, up 9% from the week before) climbed 11% in among W25-54, while Access Hollywood (1.2, steady) jumped 20% in the demo. Growing the most among the top six was Extra (0.9, up 13%), which surged 25% among W25-54, with the Daily Mail TV (0.8, steady).

Live with Kelly and Ryan (2.0, up 5%) was the only talk show to move up; Dr. Phil (new season low 1.5, down 25%) placed second despite being partially in repeats and frequently preempted.

The season five premiere of HGTV’s Good Bones delivered a .76 Live+3 rating among P25-54 on Tuesday, June 9, making it the highest-rated episode for the series since June 2018.

Fox News’ Tucker Carlson Tonight topped Fox News ratings for the week of June 8, drawing 4 million viewers and 680,000 among A25-54. Hannity came in second, with 3.9 million viewers and 633,000 in the demo.

Late Night Average Broadcast Ratings for the Week of June 8
CBS: Late Show 2.42 viewers, 0.28/3 A18-49
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live! 1.85 million viewers, 0.30/3 A18-49
NBC: Tonight 1.51 million viewers, 0.26/2 A-18-49

Basic Cable Top 5 for the Week of June 8
Primetime (P2+)
Fox News (3,9331,000)
MSNBC (1,820,000)
CNN (1,603,000)
HGTV (1,306,000)
TLC (1,156,000)
Total Day (P2+)
Fox News (1,720,000)
MSNBC (1,099,000)
CNN (1,007,000)
HGTV (739,000)
Hallmark Channel (519,000)
Source: Nielsen

TV Time’s Shows on the Rise for the Week of June 8
Reality Z (Netflix) – 100%
F is for Family (Netflix) – 94.8%
Alex & Katie (Netflix) – 93.4%
The Bold Type (Freeform) – 57.9%
Love Life (HBO Max) – 34.4%
RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars (VH1) – 32.9%
13 Reasons Why (Netflix) – 32.9%
Queer Eye (Netflix) – 30%
Modern Family (ABC) – 19.9%
Dark (Netflix) – 16.4%
Methodology: Every week, millions of viewers around the world use TV Time to track their favorite series. “Shows on the Rise” is calculated by determining the week-over-week growth in episodes watched for a given program.

Top 10 M-F Syndicated Strip Series for the week of June 1 ranked in order by HH Rtg
Jeopardy (CTD) 5.9 AA
Family Feud (CTD) 5.8 AA
Wheel of Fortune (CTD) 5.5 AA
Judge Judy (CTD) 5.4 AA
The Big Bang Theory (WB) 2.9 AA
Inside Edition (CTD) 2.6 AA
Entertainment Tonight (CTD) 2.5 AA
Last Man Standing (DAD) 2.1 AA
Live With Kelly and Ryan (DAD) 2.0AA
Hot Bench (CTD) 1.9 AA

Broadcast Nielsen Ratings for Monday, June 15
Show, P2+ 0000s, (A18-49)
ABC: The Bachelor Presents: Greatest Seasons Ever! 2.15 (0.4)
CBS: The Neighborhood 3.86 (0.4), Bob Hearts Abishola 3.66 (0.4), All Rise 2.92 (0.2), Bull 3.55 (0.3)
CW: Whose Line Is It Anyway 0.99 (0.2), Whose Line Is It Anyway 0.85 (0.2), Roswell, New Mexico 0.65 (0.1)
FOX: 9-1-1 2.52 (0.3), 9-1-1: Lone Star 2.23 (0.3)
NBC: The Titan Games 3.79 (0.7), The Wall 3.74 (0.7), Songland 2.42 (0.5)
Telemundo: Cennet 1.21 (0.4), 100 Dias Enamorarnos 0.91 (0.3), La Reina del Sur 0.66 (0.2)
Univision: Te Doy la Vida 1.63 (0.5), Amor Eterno 1.90 (0.6), Como Tú No Hay 2 1.44 (0.5)
Source: Nielsen, live + same day time period averages

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Red Arrow Studios appointed Joel Denton as Acting President of Red Arrow Studios International. Denton was formerly Managing Director, International Content Sales & Partnerships at A+E Networks.

Saloon Media named Melissa Williamson as SVP, Scripted Content. Prior to joining Sallon Media, Williamson was President of Pier 21 Films.

Kay Wilson Stallings has been appointed EVP of Creative and Production at Sesame Workshop. Wilson Stallings was previously SVP of Production and Development and Nickelodeon.

Catalina Content announced the expansion of its West Coast headquarters in LA with the appointments of Brent Jacoby as SVP of Development, Peter Huntley as VP of Casting and Ryan Doody as Manager of Development. All will report directly to Jeff Collins, President.

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
The episodes of which sci-fi series were introduced by a nightclub hostess named Raven? Spicy City (1997). Kudos to: Rory Rosegarten-The Conversation Company/Roslyn, NY, Rev. Mark Wajda/Lakeland, FL, Paul Blutter-Walk and Talk Production Rentals/Burbank, Gerry Bixenspan-TV Marketing Inc./NYC, Lorrie Shilling/El Segundo, CA, Tom Moore-Kalt Productions/LA, David Westberg-SAG-AFTRA Credit Union/Burbank

Today’s Trivia Question
In which short-lived spin-off series did Dr. Drew Pinsky have a series regular role as himself, helping the title character deal with his addictions? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: a limit of four responses per time zone.)